A 27-year-old woman has been charged with promoting prostitution following an investigation by the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Vice Unit, Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced today.
On Aug. 25, a Sheriff’s Police undercover officer responded to an advertisement in the dating section of Backpage.com that appeared to be advertising prostitution. A woman was taken into custody for prostitution.
During their investigation, Sheriff’s Police Vice officers learned that Jessica Bealer had placed the ad on Backpage.com, rented the Schiller Park hotel room that was to be used for the prostitution, and that Bealer would profit from the other woman’s prostitution.
Bealer, of the 4700 block of South Calumet Avenue in Chicago, was charged with one count of promoting prostitution, a class 4 felony. She is scheduled to appear for a bond hearing today at the Rolling Meadows Courthouse.
Since 2009, Sheriff’s Police have made more than 800 arrests from Backpage.com. Since 2007, Sheriff’s Police have made more than 50 arrests for human trafficking/involuntary servitude/promoting prostitution.
Sheriff Dart reminds the public that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty by the government in a court of law.